I am having some trouble with my finish not hardening up all the way. I first started having trouble when I made a few small repairs and I mixed very little finish. In thinking that it was probably operator error (unequal amounts due to small quantity) I proceeded to mix a bigger batch than necessary (3cc each) to refinish a butt wrap. However, it has now been 24 hours and the finish is still not as hard as it should be. It is not tacky but I can put an indention in it with my nail fairly easily.

Is is possible that my finish went bad? Other suggestions?

Thanks,
Scott

Probably not - fingernail test can easily take 3 to four days

Patience my friend and allow proper timing to use any and all products.

I have had this happen over the years to differing degrees. Tacky finish, or a finish that "pulls" at your finger just a bit as you run it over the wraps. It doesn't happen often, and there seems to be no rhyme or reason to it.

A few things have helped minimize the problem:

Careful measuring and thorough mixing: these are the no brainers. I wish that was all there was to guarantee no problems. As for the mixing part, Acid Rod has the Pacific Bay mixer on sale right now for under $25.

Humidity and temperature control: I put a portable dehumidifier in my workshop, along with an a/c unit set at 78 degrees (I'm in Florida where the heat and humidity can be a problem for the rod maker and the finish.)

Fresh product: How old is the product you are using? Not "How long ago did you buy it?" We never really know, do we? While the color of the hardener may give some clues, there is no telling how long a product sat on a dealer's shelf or in a distributor's warehouse prior to your purchase. My rule of thumb on this has become to only buy from large, high-volume dealers, such as Mudhole, Jann's Netcraft, etc. The online @#$%& sites are out as far as finish products go.

I always turn my finish bottles upside down every couple of weeks, meaning that they are right-side-up for two weeks, then upside down for the next two, etc. etc. I'm not sure if this helps or not, but it's a simple step I take to make sure nothing "settles out."

Does any of this help? Well, given that the exact science of mixing and applying finishes is anything but an exact science, I have to say that my "tacky finish" problem is greatly reduced using the above methods. Do I still have problems? Yup, occasionally, but not as many as I did years ago before I tried to eliminate as many variables as possible from the process.

Don't feel like the Lone Ranger though. I managed to come up with a new problem a few weeks ago I still haven't figured out: I wrapped a boat rod for my lady: Pink blank, purple grips, holographic turbo boat guides, black, silver, pink and purple wraps...not my color choice for a personal rod, but she loves her "Pink Snapper" rod. The finish went on well: brand new Flex Coat hi-build fresh from Mudhole. It hardened like a dream: a diamond-hard finish. Ten days later it was 25 miles offshore losing its virginity on snapper and grouper. After fishing, I washed the rods down with fresh water and a mild detergent to remove any salt and fish slime, then rinsed in fresh water. We stopped for dinner on the way home. The temperature in the car got to about 130 degrees. When we got home, her rod (only her rod, none of the others) had a problem: the finish was tacky. Three days later it was still tacky. I finally wiped the entire rod down with lacquer thinner and applied another coat of finish. Problem solved, but I have no idea what happened.

Good luck...if the finish doesn't set completely after a week, just re-coat it. That usually fixes the problem. The fickle gods of finish can often be counted on to correct their earlier mistake.....

Bill is correct, it will take 3 or more days for the Flexcoat to get that hard.

Thanks to the responses. Hopefully it will harden up in a couple days. If not, I try as suggested above.

None the less, a new bottle of flex coat is on the way.

Thanks,
Scott

There is nothing wrong with your epoxy. It can take a few days to a week for it to harden sufficiently enough that a fingernail won't dent it.

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As many have said before including Tom, finish does not have a shelf life. Second mix until you can't see the wispyness in the mix to know it is completely mixed. Never apply out of the mixing cup because you just might get some incompletely mixed finish which may not harden properly, and leaving finish in mixing container will accelerate the setup time. So pour it out on a piece of aluminum foil to spread out so it is in a thin layer to extend setup time and making it easier for the bubbles to burst since they don't have as far to migrate to the surface. As far as mixing small quantities, think about this. if you are mixing something that requires equal parts of both parts and you make a slight error in measurement that same error will be a bigger percentage off in a small batch than in a 3cc (for each part) batch. Now you may notice the hardener is usually thinner than the resin so there will be a difference in surface tension so when filling a measuring cup up to a line you will see the resin "mounding" up a little higher above the line than the hardner. That is why I use a syringe that has been epoxied into the caps of the finish bottles so I can pull precisly the correct amount of each. Finally a little tip. Years ago I saw somthing in a cooking venue where they were talking about measuring liquid ingredients. They said when you are measuring a high viscosity/sticky liquid like for example honey and also cooking oil that you should measue the cooking oil first because then when you measure the honey, the honey will pour out of the measuring cup without staying attached to the cup. So if you still want to measure finishes in a measuring cup then measure the thinner hardener first. Second when you pour your finish into a mixing container, pour in the hardener first. This will help you get a more complete mix because the more viscous resin won't cling to the sides as much.
Kerry

If you have any flexible plastic lids (the kind from coffee cans, oatmeal packages, etc), these work well for something to pour the finish onto from the mixing cup. The finish will not stick to this plastic, so once it sets, just peel the finish off and re-use again and again.

As for shelf life, I got a letter response from Flex Coat a number of years ago telling me that the finish had a shelf life of one year. If that is no longer accurate, I apologize. (I also have some bottles of Flex Coat where the hardener has turned dark amber I might not need to toss!)

Your amber hardener (they all turn a bit amber over time) will still function normally.

............

A large corporation once desired to increase its sales of Shampoo. A sharp employee suggested they change their instructions to read, \"Wet hair, apply shampoo, lather, rinse, repeat.\" The word REPEAT meant that anyone using the product and following the new instructions would now use it at twice the rate they had done previously. Smart.

Putting a self imposed shelf life of one year on an epoxy product may be an equally smart sales move. Do you see an expiration date on either of the bottles you have now? Is there any date telling you when the product was manufactured and bottled? Does the one year shelf life start at the time it was made and bottled, or one year from the time you bought it?

Gary, I would be careful with the lids. I know it has been working for you but you may get one someday that has silicone in it and will drive you nuts.





Barry, my thoughts exactly!

Freddwhy (Rapt-Ryte)

I would hope that silicone would not be used in food-grade plastics, but given that most of these plastics are sourced from China, it certainly isn't out of the realm of possibility. My wife is a nurse, and some years ago I thought I'd use medical syringes to measure finish. Big mistake. Fish eyes are pretty on fish. They ruin an otherwise great rod finish. Same goes for medicine cups from the hospital. I learned the hard way.
The coffee can lids I am using (can you believe it?) are close to 30 years old. My parents lived through the depression. Use and re-use was their mantra. But the point is well taken.

Scott,
My guess on your finish hardning problem - if it doesn't get hard in another day or two is likely insufficient mixing time.

It is very easy to under mix these finishes.

I make a point of mixing for a minimum of 120 seconds - by the clock - or two minutes. I also make sure that during the mix, the sides of the mixing cup are scraped from time to time, and that the mixing stick itself is wiped off on the edges of the cup.
Th is insures that there is not any unmixed portion of the finish that ends up on the blank.

I do this whether I mix one cc of finish or 10 ccs of finish.

Take care
Roger

Well, my finish never hardened. I built and finished two other rods night before last and the next morning they had cured properly. The finish was still a little soft but was already harder than the problem rod. I decided to lightly sand the problem rod and applied a thin coat of finish. Woke up this morning and she is good to go.

Thanks for the comments. I guess it was either insufficient mixing time or unequal proportions.

Scott